West Virginia Democrat. [volume] (Charles Town, W. Va.) 1885-1890, 1887-09-09
FARMERS AND THE ELEC
TIONS

Copied from Am. Farmer of Baltimore.
As the fall elections are near
few words may not be out of place
in your paper, | am aware that you
abstain from political discussions.
1t is certainly no part of your duty
tc champion the cause of either par
ty, and YOU might err in even show
ing q preference; but as an agricul-
tural journal, published in the inter-
est of the farming community, con-
ceive it to be your duty to direct the
attention to the important bearing
these elections have upon our inter
ests.
This important subject is too
much neglected. Farmers complain,
and justly, that the landed industry
is made to bear more than it's share
of the expense of government. The
inequality of taxation is dwelt upon
with great earnestness, and yet the
persons who talk most about this
great injustice are the last ones TO
discover u remedy, or at least to ap-
ply it. They act as if there was no
remedy, when it is within easy
reach.
The citizens of each county will
soon choose persons to represent
them at Annapolis; and in the Sc
lection of these persons consists the
key to the whole matter. FIVE are
indifferent in regard to the selection
of our law makers, how can we ex-
pect to have proper laws? If the
taxpayers allow the politicians to
name the men who compose our leg
islature, what right have they to
grumble at the result Of the work
done? Ii we do not attend to our
own business. who will do it for us?
The politicians will nOt-they are
looking out for themselves, and are
ever alert to advance their own in
terests, which are generally at vari
ance with ours, and they generally
succeed. They have brought the
political machinery to such perfec
tion that they are enabled to desig
nate with almost uuerring certainty
the men who are to be nominated,
long before their credulous dupes
are notified to assemble at the vari-
Gus voting places, ostensibly to
choose the nominees. but in reality
to ratify the commands of the boss
es. And what are we to expect from
men thus selected: They may grant
us such favors as are not inconsist-
ent with the course mapped out for
them, but when confronted with
questions involving conflict be-
tween their political bosses, backed
up by the individual and corporate
wealth of the State on the one hand,
and the inactive and unOrganlzed
farmers on the other, they will not
long hesitate in coming to cOnclu
sion.
Now we have our remedy, and it
is simply to elect proper men to rep
resent us; and the first and most
important step towards accomplish
ing this, is to see that proper men
are nominated Without nomina-
tion. there can be no election, and
our present method of nominating
candidates is the most complete
farce imaginable The leaders, re-
living upon the tenacity with which
voters cling to the antiquated and
absurd tenet of sticking to your
party" concern themselves only
about getting the men of their
choice nominated, secure in the be-
lief that party fealty will insure
their election.
There never was a more mlSchleV-
Gus maxim advanced than this of
sticking to the old party" at least
as practiced at the present time. 1t
may have served 4 good purpose in
years long passed. Formerly these
primaries may have afforded the
peOplesan opportunity of voting for
men of their own selection, butifsO,
it was before my day. If each party
would get the names of their best
men on the tickets, we would hear
little said about sticking to the
party because there would be no
inducements to not stick, but under
our present method of making NOM
nations that is impossible, and we
are compelled either to adopt some
other system, or vote for inefficient
and unsuitable persons, or commit
that objectionable SIN of splitting
the ticket" and even this latter
will not suffice to get what we want,
as it would require about dozen
average tickets from which to select
in order to get one good one.
1t is this "clinging to the old
party" that has checked the advance
of every contemplated Improvement.
Men will talk about and work for
some pet scheme with great earnest
ness and zeal, and will spend time
and money forits advancement; but
just as soon as an opportunity is